All I want for Christmas is my sanity back.

<3, The Cranky One

Hey guys! It’s been a while, eh? I’ve been having major blog withdrawals, but have made the sage choice to take a little break while I finish up this semester. Basically, I’ve been barricaded in my room, which isn’t too bad considering my room is a haven of distractions :/ (actually, maybe that IS a bad thing!).  You know you’re a grad student when your idea of “dressing up” is putting on silly socks…

That’s pretty much what I’ve looked like the past few days — oversized t-shirt, work-out shorts, Beetlejuice socks and some sort of food making its way into my oversized mouth.  Can’t lie — while I’ve certainly been working out my jaw with all the chewing I’ve been doing, that’s pretty much the extent of exercise I’ve done.  Oh wait, I’ve exercised my little brain.  That should count!  Right? Can I get an “amen”?!

Annnnnnnnyway, I wanted to share a few neat things with you before I hibernate yet again.  The first is a cool stocking stuffer idea (or just get one for yourself – they’re neato!):

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs — These little tin cans pack tons of chocolate yumminess and 140 calories

You can compare them to Sweet Riot’s EXACT same 140 calorie tin (hey, imitation is flattery, right?). I first wrote about Sweet Riot here.

The main difference is that Sweet Riot has more flavors, however, isn’t as widely accessible as Trader Joe’s products. I couldn’t find Sweet Riot products sold near me and found I’d have to pay too much in shipping to get them, so this is great news that I can I go to TJ’s and get my fix!  These would be perfect stocking stuffers!

Thanks go to Hungry Girl’s newsletter for the product news!

Another cool thing?  Trader Joe’s Deep, Dark Gingerbread Cake & Baking Mix

Remember when I wrote here that the gingerbread men were following me?  Well now they can follow me right on over to my own oven, ‘cuz I’m in love with this mix.  All you do is add an egg, some vegetable oil and water and presto –  Thick, gooey cake/bread!  It has the perfect texture and taste to satisfy your gingerbread craving! It tastes much better than store-bought since it has quality ingredients and comes out of the oven warm and fresh!  You can have a ninth of the pan for 230 calories, which isn’t bad at all since a ninth of the pan is the size of my head (ok, not really because I have an abnormally large head, but it is a big slice, so you don’t feel like you’re being gipped like you would if you tried to satisfy your craving with a little 1 point Weight Watcher gingerbread cookie, just sayin’!).

Case in point:

Alright guys, wish me luck.  I’ve got 8 pages down on one paper and 7 more pages to go before I begin my next paper.  All this term paper stuff is really putting a damper on my holiday spirit! bah!  For all you cool kids who actually get to enjoy this time of year, what are you up to?  What are your plans for the season? Who wants to come visit me and remind me there is life outside my bubble?

<3, The Cranky One

p.s. If you’re sick like me, you’ll find Alternet’s list of Top 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods fascinating!

I have a SECRET PLAN!

Introducing…

A GIANT CALENDAR!  BUAHAH! Goal escaping you?  Finding it hard to remember how much you ate, how little you exercised, where you’re going or what you’re doing?  Get a giant calendar and be reminded!  This giant monster of a calendar will make it exceptionally hard for me to forget that 8/1/09 is the drop 10 or skulk away date.

On to other news (because, frankly, all this deadline stuff makes me a tad, itty, bitty bit nervous)…

I have a little crush on some little guys in a little tin container…

Sweet Riot!

Alright, here’s the 411:  Sweet Riot makes all-natural chocolate treats that they put in these little tins and they taste FLIPPIN’ AMAZING.  None of that fake this, fake that sweet stuff — this is the real deal!  And — if you’re one of those ethical people who actually cares about the world, you’ll be happy to know Sweet Riot believes in fair trade, global responsibility and ETHICS!  A company with ethics?  I think I just saw a pig fly out my window!

From their website: “We are creating a sweet movement to fix the world. We’ve started by sourcing our cacao directly in Latin America, using recyclable, reusable packaging which features emerging artists, and by only using all-natural, healthy ingredients for our dark chocolate ‘peaces.’”  I love that they call their chocolate pieces “peaces”…so cute

Riot in my hand.

Yep, I love it.  But what I love even more is that the little tin of 100% dark cacao nibs dunked in 65% dark chocolate that I tried is perfect for someone who loves chocolate but who also does not want to eat a load of fatty candy bar chocolate to satisfy her sweet tooth.  Since each little piece has 1-2 calories each, you can keep the tin in your purse, have a handful, satisfy that sweet tooth and move on with your day and STILL work towards your health goals.  Usually I scoff at the whole “have a piece of chocolate and be satisfied” argument.  Usually, I want to throw people who say that right off a metaphorical cliff all the while stuffing mounds of chocolate bars in my face to prove you can’t just have a piece (I mean really!), but I will confess…a handful of this delicious stuff and you’re golden.  AND!  If you do happen to eat the entire tin – don’t worry!  There’s only 140 calories in the ENTIRE thing!

Quick Facts

• Nutritional content average for all flavors: 140 calories, 12 – 14 carbs, 11 – 12g fat, 6 – 10g sugar, 3 – 4g fiber, 2g protein, 0mg sodium, 3 points WeightWatchers
• They’re dairy free, gluten free, kosher & do not contain GMOs
• Flavors: 50, 65 & 70 (the numbers refer to the % of dark chocolate the cacao nibs are dipped in) – Buy a Spring Fling 3 Pack for $16.99 to try all three:



• Where to purchase: 1.  Here’s a list of retailers that includes Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market and Bristol Farms, among others.  They even break it down by city, but suggest you call the store ahead to ensure they’re stocked. 2.  On their site here.  Right now, ground shipping is free on orders over $79.00 (I guess that’s cool if you want to buy a ton of them for like gift purposes or something…)

Ohhh!  I see why they call it a riot!  There was a total happy riot going on with my taste buds when I tried these. Gotta love that there was a little fortune in the tin too with a heart-warming message about peace in developing countries.  Sometimes, the best way to satisfy your hunger is through your soul.

Side note on another topic…

I have to stick half my foot in my mouth because today I tried another Triple Chocolate Chunk Vitatop and, this time, it tasted delicious. Do I have food schizophrenia, do some Vitatops just get made better than others, did someone slip some fat into my muffin? These are possibilities.  But I felt compelled to make that itsy bitsy confession.  Yea, but let me add (before we start holding hands and singing kumbaya) that Vitalicious has not yet responded to my customer complaint about my order! Boooooooooo!

Ok, and on to something completely unrelated except that it’s related to a confession…

…

…

I kinda have a little crush on…

Edward Cullen.  I KNOW, what am I, 14?!  As an English M.A. student I don’t think I’m even allowed to like the Twilight series, but I am allowed to have a crush on vampire boys if I want to, right?!  There’s something about his relentless restraint and deep gaze that makes me go ga ga.  Sorry.  I had to get that off my chest.  :/

Shameless Plug

And yes folks, this wouldn’t be my blog if there wasn’t some shameless self-indulgence to which I say, “eh, well!”  So, here I go:

Did you see me in the blog That’s Fit here? Go, go, go!

SO WHO ALL IS JOINING ME AND JEN FOR THE 10-POUND CHALLENGE?!?!

<3 The cranky one